News from Greater Minnesota

Prairie

Aug 09, 2013

Guest column by John G. WhiteOriginally published in the Clara City Herald

The Rev. Chuck Waibel knows he’s dying. After weeks of stomach pain he went in for tests that came back pretty ugly. Stage Four colon cancer. “All that’s left now is handling the pain,” he said, “and going out in style.”

He was given a short calendar. Weeks, perhaps. Months on an outside chance.

“Going out in style” is classic Waibel. Count the eccentric reverend, author, teacher, muse and winter greenhouse instigator as one of the River Valley Liberals. He and his wife, Carol Ford, met via an internet singles site and a match couldn’t be more perfect. She’s a writer and musician. On our second year of the Prairie Fest Chili Cook-off, Carol played with one of her best buddies, Colleen Frye, the bluesy fiddler. Carol is of flowery garb and classic hair ware, Chuck of tropical shirts, suspenders, a full beard and short ponytail.

Chuck also wrote a most interesting novel called “Phoenix, Minnesota.” A sci-fi story, his book puts us into a future when corporate agriculture has run amok, confining the non-GMO and sustainable folks into forced ghettos. Very little imagination is needed to realize the ghetto is actually Milan, and that his characters are mostly based on people we River Valley Liberals know. Part of the fun is figuring out who is who.

“I know those on both sides,” Chuck said with a characteristic smile. “LOOZers are independent-minded folks,” he said of his protagonists. “They are hard working and self-confident. They are sophisticated, not decadent. They are well-read and thoughtful. They are the epitome of ‘Think Globally, Act Locally.’ Their culture is civic, not corporate, and I thank Ralph Nader for that phrase. They are aware of popular culture, but aren’t impressed by it. They are citizens of the world, but with their feet firmly on the Earth. Their spirituality tells them that we have abused Mother Earth too far.”

After knowing him for years and doing stories on their greenhouses, it was a joy this past winter when the Belle and I attended one of his “courses” at Elk’s Bluff Greenhouse outside of Montevideo. This was the latest of a growing number of passive solar winter greenhouses based on Chuck’s original “but ever-changing” concept.

We were there for a general love of fresh winter greens, although for me in particular, it was from a statement Carol had made shortly after a harrowing trip home from work at the University of Minnesota-Morris: “Afterwards, during the blizzard, I sat in our greenhouse in humid, 80 degree air while the winds and snow blasted the world outside the panels.” If you remember this past winter, and most of us do, you can imagine how this caught the attention of a man raised in the near south.

On this cold, wintry day, Elk’s Bluff was pleasantly warm. Parkas were ditched as we sat in the packaging room adjacent to the greenhouse as the heat drifted in. Joining us were people who had driven from as far north as Duluth, and from St. Cloud and South Dakota. It was typical Chuck — part mad scientist, part engineer and part community organizer while being wholly unorganized. An amazing accomplishment. Yet, he was in his subtle glory as the winds tore across the prairie. But, that was “yesterday.”

On Saturday afternoon he and Carol were at the Mayo Clinic trying to resurface after days of continuing tests. His oncologist, a Dr. Kasi, made a surprise visit after becoming worried about seeing Chuck slumped down in his wheelchair and the negative chart work ... and after doing a bit of online research. Apparently the doctor entered the room while a nurse was attending to Waibel and pronounced, “Do you who this man is? Go on, Chuck, tell her about yourself.”

Here, in Carol’s words, is what happened next: “And so Chuck did, because it doesn’t take much encouragement to get him talking about passive solar greenhouses and sustainable local foods systems. And as he did, I saw the energy build back up in him, telling the nurse about the ideas and hopes that will not let him fall back and let bad luck take him down.

“So the talk turned to his future chemo treatment, about the need for a port to be placed in his chest, about the healing time required before treatments start and about how soon we will return to Mayo (mid-November) to see how things are going and make adjustments to treatment. I think this was the first time we have heard talk about the future since all this began.”

The Rev. Charles Waibel is finding style, thanks to an oncologist who cares.

For more on Charles Waibel, check out:

Land Stewardship Project's Farm Beginning graduates profile of Carol and Charles, The Door into Summer by Brian DeVore

Not that the brain trust at the Central Minnesota Tea Party is sharing that attribution. The article is simply reprinted without note of its origin or comment. Apparently, there are enough scary terms from Glenn Beck's cloud of Agenda 21 keywords to convince any red-blooded American Tea Party Patriot that the DNR is in cahoots with the United Nations by promoting conservation grazing in western Minnesota.

For those of you who don't live in close proximity of livestock, "conservation grazing" is a best management practice for pastured cattle, sheep, goats or other farm animals that's based on the application of the relatively recent application of research that demonstrates that for many plots of degraded prairie land set aside for conservation, well-managed grazing helps the native flora and fauna recover.

In the early 1900s, naturalist John Muir described livestock in the
alpine meadows of the Sierra Mountains of California as "hoofed
locusts." Later in the century, wilderness advocate Edward Abbey called
cattle in the desert Southwest "a pest and a plague." Blaming cattle for
environmental ills has long been a popular point of view of
conservationists.

However, prairie plants evolved with and are well adapted to grazing
by bison, deer, elk, and uncountable numbers of grasshoppers. The
growing parts of many prairie grasses, the meristems, are at the soil
surface, protected from both teeth and flame. In this landscape, a new
and growing practice called conservation grazing returns hooved animals to their historic place in the prairie ecosystem.

Land managers with the Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy are learning that it
isn't always enough to protect and preserve acres of land. We also need
to return ecological processes to those acres. Fire, grazing, and
climate variability are three processes that control the diversity and
productivity of tallgrass prairie. We can't do much to control annual
climate variability, but we can use prescribed fire and conservation
grazing to limit trees and other invasive plants, increase native
species richness, and improve the overall structure of grasslands.

And how is that done? By introducing blue helmets to the prairie? Nope. It's by allowing farmers and ranchers to graze their private herds on public lands and private land held by non-profits like the Nature Conservancy.

Restricting property rights, like the Agenda21phobes fear? Not exactly. This is a "working lands" approach to managing land, and it's sound business practice for producers who are responding to market demand for grassfed meat. Hoch notes:

Since agencies don't necessarily want to get into the livestock
business themselves, they rely on local ranchers to provide the cattle.
This benefits ranchers who are looking for pasture to rent for grazing
cattle, at a time when more land is being put into crop production due
to high prices of corn and other commodities.

"Allowing conservation grazing of our wildlife grasslands gives our
livestock farmers an opportunity to maintain their herds," says Don
Baloun, state conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Natural Resources Conservation Service. "We get the benefit of grazing
to enhance the cover, and they get quality grasslands to maintain their
herds."

Jim Wulf, a rancher in west-central Minnesota, points to additional
benefits: "By moving cattle across different pastures, ranchers are able
to break disease and parasite cycles."

The availability of quality grasslands isn't an abstract ideological issue for farmers and ranchers in a year like this when fodder and hay is in short supply because of weather extremes; Governor Dayton has appealed to the USDA to allow some land set aside as CRP to be grazed or mown for hay.

Jun 10, 2013

In the past, Bluestem has chastized a conservative blogger for not knowing the boundaries of Minnesota's First Congressional District, so it's only fair that we point out that Eric Pusey's understanding of the geography of the Sixth Congressional District goes a bit far a field.

In Why we should fear Tom Emmer, Eric Pusey includes Big Stone County, part of the fabled "Bump" on the South Dakota border, in with Sixth CD precincts in Anoka, Hennepin, Sherburne, Washington and Wright County.

Someone had to keep passing those stale Big Stoned County jokes around.

Benton County, on the other hand, gave Emmer a clear majority of 50.92 percent to Dayton's 35.29 percent and Horner's 12.14 percent. The Grassroots Party candidates came in fourth, putting the bent in Benton County with 77 votes or 0.56 percent of the vote.

Bluestem recommends that Minnesotans visit the Upper Minnesota River Valley, which not only is quite lovely, but unlike those folks downstream in Carver County, has little to fear from Tom Emmer. For now, Big Stone County can breathe easier.

Image: In an act of radical redistricting, Minnesota Progressive Project put Big Stone County in the middle of Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. In fact, it's part of The Bump on the state's western border with South Dakota, in CD7. Bluestem hopes that MPP replaces BSC with Benton. Just saying.

If you enjoy reading posts like this on Bluestem Prairie, consider throwing some coin in the tip jar:

An informal list of 17 members the NRCC believes can be convinced to
step down, privately called the "Dem Retirement Assault List," makes
clear the party needs Dem incumbents to step aside if they have hopes of
taking back the majority. The NRCC has taken pains to attack those
lawmakers in recent weeks.

The list includes 14 members whose districts voted for Sen. John
McCain (R-AZ) in '08. McCain won districts held by Reps. Ike Skelton
(D-MO) and Bart Gordon (D-TN) with more than 60% of the vote, and
districts held by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA), Alan Mollohan (D-WV),
Marion Berry (D-AR), Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Mike Ross (D-AR) with more
than 55%.

But that pressure seems weak
so far: press releases criticizing the incumbents, plus a little money
thrown to media buys in certain districts. But the emphasis goes on the
word little: in three districts ” not including Petersons 7th ” a total
of $6,300 was spent by the NRCC on ad buys.

In a conference call with reporters Wednesday, NRCC Executive Director
Guy Harrison listed 10 moderate Democrats who are in the committee’s
sights for 2012: West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall, Arkansas Rep. Mike
Ross, Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson and Pennsylvania Rep. Jason
Altmire. All four were held under 60 percent Tuesday and represent
districts that voted for John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008.

In 1992, Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson won re-election by a single
point. Two years later, he defeated Republican Bernie Omann again, but
by just two points. He hasn't faced a serious re-election bid since.

But this year, more than 18 months before Election Day, House
Republicans are trying to convince Peterson he's in for a tough race.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has already spent a
small amount of money on advertisements in Peterson's district, and the
committee has a press staffer dedicated to pushing opposition research
to reporters in Democratic-held areas that, like Peterson's, voted for
Mitt Romney in 2012.

The amount of money and effort Republicans are putting into
Peterson's race, at the moment, is negligible. The committee spent just
$2,000 on the early advertisement, a drop in the bucket compared with
the millions spent every cycle on competitive races. But the goal isn't
to beat Peterson so far out -- it's to get in his head on a daily basis
and, eventually, to get Peterson to retire rather than run for a 13th
term.

So far, Peterson doesn't seem bothered by the Republican attention. "They don't have anybody else to go after," he told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune last month, when the ads ran. "It's kind of ridiculous, but whatever."

But when he goes home next week, Republicans will seek to remind
Peterson that he's not alone. The NRCC has a dedicated tracker set to
follow Peterson around his district . . .

May 14, 2013

Bluestem's world headquarters recently relocated to sunny Maynard in order to be closer to the upper Minnesota River, loveliest of prairie rivers.

The local watershed protectors, Clean Up the River Environment (CURE), will be hosting the Minnesota River History Weekend and Minnesota State Water Trails 50th Anniversary on Friday through Sunday. If you're a reader who wonders why the dirty hippies out here make such a fuss about threats to the upper valley's tranquility, consider checking this out:

Friday evening:

Grab some popcorn at Granite Falls' famous local Popcorn Stand and head over to watch a film and listen to great speakers!

with producers John Hickman and Jon Carlson (7 PM). This film tells
the story of people from all walks of life - academics, farmers,
natural resource professionals, anglers, homeowners, students, paddlers,
politicians, and citizen activists - who are working together to solve
the problems facing the Minnesota River. Read more about the film and speakers here.

with Erik Wrede, MN DNR Water Trails Coordinator and special guest Paul Ryberg (8 PM). Minnesota has the first and largest Water Trails system in the nation. Come
learn about the early years of the system, and the trip planning
resources and paddling opportunities that are now available. Plus, special guest Paul Ryberg will tell stories about growing up on the Minnesota River with his
family that will be honored for their efforts to "unleash the
recreational giant of canoeing." Read more about the presentation and
speakers here. Read more about the presentation and speakers here.

PRESENTATION. Reconnecting the Minnesota River by Luther Aadland, River Scientist, MN DNR (9:30 PM). His
work, research, and publications have included a wide variety of topics
that integrate physical and biological processes of rivers and the
design of river restoration, nature-like fish passage, dam removal,
erosion control, and flood damage reduction projects. Read more about Luther here.

Saturday's events include Paddling Theater, with options for riding on large fur-trading style canoes or on your own craft. Sunday is a self-organized paddling on the Chippewa River, Hawk Creek, Minnesota River and Yellow Medicine River meet at Memorial Park.

A new proposal to limit frac sand mining has surfaced in the state
Senate. The Senate Environment and Energy Committee on Tuesday night
passed a game and fish bill that would significantly restrict mining
activities in southeastern Minnesota . . .

he point person on frac sand bills in the Senate, Matt Schmit,
DFL-Red Wing, is carrying a game and fish bill that raises
water-related concerns about frac sand mining. The bill would prohibit
any industrial silica sand mining in an area that’s referred to as the
Department of Natural Resources Paleozoic Plateau Ecological Section if
its located “within one mile of any spring, groundwater seepage area,
fen, designated trout stream, class 2a water as designated in the rules
of the Pollution Control Agency, or any perennially flowing tributary of
a designated trout stream of class 2a water.”

The Paleozoic Plateau encompasses much of southeastern Minnesota.

Schmit said the porous type of geology in southeastern Minnesota
makes the region susceptible to water pollution that harm its unique
cold water fishery.

“There is no guarantee that we are going to have any other bill on
silica sand mining pass out of the Legislature this year, so this is I
think an appropriate place for some standards regarding our waters and
our trout fishing,” Schmit said.

Trout Unlimited has been particularly aggressive in testifying about the potential threat that unchecked industrial sand mining might posed to trout in southeastern Minnesota. Back in February, Star Tribune sand reporter Tony Kennedy reported in Trout group fears frac sand damage to streams:

. . .Besides holding vast reserves of the world's best frac sand,
southeastern Minnesota also is home to an extensive network of
ecologically fragile trout streams.

John Lenczewski, who heads the state chapter of Trout Unlimited,
told a joint Senate and House hearing Tuesday that Minnesota's streams
are spring-fed by the same drinking water that frac sand processing
facilities want to pump out of the ground in huge volumes. Mining
companies use the water to separate valuable silica sand from waste
material. There are fears that the reserves will be depleted to the
extent that stream flows are reduced, endangering fish habitat.

"The industry does not need to use our future drinking water to wash sand,'' Lenczewski said.

He also called on the Legislature to prohibit sand mines from digging
within 25 feet of the water table. Some new frac sand mines in
Wisconsin have been permitted to dig nearly all the way to ground water
-- giving pollutants a direct path to aquifers.

A crowd of around 80 residents and concerned neighbors came to
the Rock Creek Town Hall on March 8 to hear an update on a proposed
Highway 70 reconstruction project, and to share concerns about plans to
use that road as a route for trucks bringing frac sand from Wisconsin to
Minnesota.

“I don’t think I need to tell anyone in this room how dangerous this stretch of highway has become,” Faust said.

How dangerous?

“On Highway 70, the accident rate is one accident per million vehicle
miles,” Hill said. “That equals out to about one crash per month.”

He said the statewide average for roads like Highway
70 is half of a crash per month, or only half of the accident rate on
Highway 70.

Before MNDOT begins to make the road safer, frac sand trucks will be traveling the crumbling road. Faust's constituents aren't happy. The Pioneer continues:

In response to questions, Hill said he did not know exactly how many
of the 80,000 pound frac sand trucks would be traveling along Highway
70, but that he had heard it would be 12 trucks per hour. This would
double the amount of heavy truck traffic currently on the highway. He
asserted that the road is designed to handle those kinds of loads.

One resident at the meeting said that though the
trucks are tarped, that doesn’t mean they don’t spread the sand through
the air as they pass through.

“They come by with spillage all over them,” he said.
“This sand, they’ve done studies on it ... silca sand. If there’s
someone allergic to it, it can hurt them. Seal them up and wash these
trucks off.” . . .

“In the spring, the water will boil up out of it and the pavement will move,” one man said.

“That road hasn’t been touched ... since I’ve been
born,” another man said. “Nobody’s dug that swamp up. They don’t even
know what’s down there. It’s been this way for 60 years, nothing
changes. All of a sudden the fracking sand comes in.”

The largest active mining operation is
located along the Minnesota River between Mankato and St Peter, not in a
bluff landscape, but on a flat landscape. In that kind of setting the operators dig excavations below the surrounding mostly flat landscape.

Listeners would be forgiven if they came away with the idea that the Unimin mines weren't in the Minnesota River Valley, but "along" the way.

In fact, both mines are located on flat terraces below the bluffs. While the exact site of the mine is on the flat "prairies," the terraces are part of a valley landscape.

Photo: A brown trout taken from Whitewater State Park.

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Mar 15, 2013

Yet another Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) document related to the denial of five petitions for annexation of land to the City of Ortonville in Big Stone County has been made available. Bluestem Prairie posts it below for the public interest.

After residents of the township brought concerns to the board, the township supervisors imposed a moratorium while they wrote zoning and planning ordinances. Big Stone County's commissioners voted to permit the quarry; to get around the moratorium, the landowner divided his property among relatives, then petitioned the City of Ortonville to annex the site.

While the denial and moratorium for the moment prevent the project from going forward, the long-term consequences of the OAH judge's decision are unknown to Bluestem at this time.

Headwaters of the Minnesota River, Big Stone County is on the Minnesota-South Dakota border, directly west of the Twin Cities.

The memorandum begins:

Two issues, scope of review and determination of property ownership, have arisen in the six matters comprising the City of Ortonville's (City) filings for annexation by ordinance under Minn. Stat. 414.033, Subd. 2(3). The factual background includes the ordinances passed by the City, the objection by Ortonville Township (Township), and the requested additional information received from the City and Petitioners.

It concludes:

CONCLUSION

The urban or suburban character of the Subject Area is outside the jurisdiction of the OAH in proceedings under annexation by ordinance. The OAH must determine that the jurisdictional requirements for an annexation by ordinance are met before an ordinance is approved. The OAH cannot conduct a hearing regarding disputes over the propriety of an annexation by ordinance. Where the presented facts show that there is a jurisdictional defect, the ordinance must be denied.

Docket No. A-7829 has been approved as there are no procedural defects present.

Dockets Nos. A-7830, A-7831, A-7832, A-7833, and A-7834 have been denied as the City didnot receive petitions for annexation from all of the property owners as required by Minn. Stat. 414.033, subd. 2(3).

After being approached by township residents and landowners concerned
about property values, traffic, noise, water, dust and rare cacti, the
Ortonville Board of Supervisors enacted a moratorium while they wrote
land use ordinances. The moratorium was recently extend for a year.

In response the landowner, who had agreed to let his land be mined,
divided his property into smallers parcels that touched on the city
limits; the relatives then petitioned to have the parcels annexed into
the city.

Only one ruling--a denial--of one of the petitions was posted online last night. Today, Bluestem has received and posted a copy of Assistant Chief Administrative Law Judge Timothy O'Malley's memo about all of the petitions. While that of Gayle Hedge was approved , the rest were denied.

Not beinga lawyer, Bluestem can't say with certainty what this means, but it appears that Ortonville Township still has jurisdiction over the properties where all of the proposed Strata Corporation's rock processing, storage and shipping was to have taken place, while the property where the hole was to be dug is now part of the City of Ortonville.

Since the land that remains in Ortonville Township is subject to a moratorium, the quarry project can't--for the moment--go forward. We don't know what recourse the landowners, the City of Ortonville and Strata Corporation have at this point, but this is a positive development for the many people who sought to preserve the working landscape just outside of town.

Headwaters of the Minnesota River, Big Stone County is on the Minnesota-South Dakota border, directly west of the Twin Cities.

From the memorandum:

The urban or suburban character of the Subject Area is outside the jurisdiction of the OAH in
proceedings under annexation by ordinance. The OAH must determine that the jurisdictional
requirements for an annexation by ordinance are met before an ordinance is approved. The OAH
cannot conduct a hearing regarding disputes over the propriety of an annexation by ordinance.
Where the presented facts show that there is a jurisdictional defect, the ordinance must be denied.

Docket No. A-7829 has been approved as there are no procedural defects present.

Dockets Nos. A-7830, A-7831, A-7832, A-7833, and A-7834 have been denied as the City did
not receive petitions for annexation from all of the property owners as required by Minn. Stat. 5
414.033, subd. 2(3).

Mar 14, 2013

Minnesota River rats are cheering Tuesday night's vote by citizens in Renville County's Sacred Heart Township to adopt a resolution opposing a proposed Off Highway Vehicle county park. The river enthusiasts had feared the project would disturb environmentally sensitive areas and the enjoyment of a remote stretch of the middle corridor of the Minnesota River Valley

The resolution rescinds a vote by the board of
supervisors made last year supporting the park. It is proposed to be
developed in the Minnesota River Valley in sections 22 and 23 of the
township.

The resolution states that a majority of residents
oppose the project, are concerned about how it would adversely affect
land values, and charges that neighboring landowners and residents were
not contacted or allowed to voice their concerns in advance of passage
of the resolution last year supporting the park.

Landowners adjacent to the proposed site oppose the project, and they brought the resolution for a vote.

Dave Zaske, one of the affected landowners, said the
resolution will be sent to the Renville County board of commissioners.
He said the county board has said the fate of the park was up to the
township. He is hopeful that this resolution will lead the board to
stop pursuing the project.

The resolution raises the hopes of paddlers and anglers worried about plans to turn their stretch of the river into an ATV destination, with connected trails linking playgrounds for the snarly vehicles--and the use of legacy funds intended for preserving natural areas and water quality to create the recreation area. (Read a draft of a suggested bill--not yet introduced--here).

They fear the recreational use will not only echo down the valley corridor, but the opportunity to "mud" the bluffs will destroy natural habitat and promote erosion. Reducing the sediment load in the Minnesota River is crucial for the quality of downriver areas like Lake Pepin.

Bluestem applauds the decision of the citizens of Sacred Heart Township. One of our fondest memories is stopping on the township road that winds toward the Joseph Brown house ruins to watch a flock of 200 migrating Arctic Swans that paused in the flooded river bottoms. Their calls echoed in the valley, while another flock sang from a flooded field a half mile upstream.

Not likely to happen again if the bluffs echo with the sound of ATVs.

Photo: The ruins of an old barn that would be in the park. Phot by Tom Cherveny/West Central Tribune.

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Mar 10, 2013

As the Minnesota legislature mulls over bills to regulate and tax industrial sand mining in the gopher state, the Rochester Post Bulletin reports (with an unintentionally misleading headline) that For townships, silica not a hot issue at their annual meetings coming up Tuesday.

Read the article, however, and you'll learn why that discussion has cooled:

Silica-sand mines could hit some townships hard with dust, noise
and road damage, but what to do about the mines might not be a major
issue at the township annual meetings planned across the area on
Tuesday.

Most townships are waiting for counties or the state to give them
more information and to act on moratoriums, or to decide how to collect
money to repair roads from heavy mining traffic, county township
officer association officials said. . . .

Instead, it's a hot issue at the state capitol. In an earlier issue of the Red Wing Republican Eagle, state representative Tim Kelly (R-Red Wing) took some heat when a reader perceived that he wasn't being pro-active on the issues. Kelly fights back with Be part of a silica sand mining legislative solution:

Make no mistake, one of the most important issues of this area, at
this time, is silica sand mining. Sen. Matt Schmit and I have been
working with many individuals and agencies to ensure that we have a say
in the standards that need to be met if mining occurs here.

In
any situation, there will be different opinions and strategies. I
commend Jim and Jody McIlrath on their approach and I look forward to
working with them in helping to resolve this issue.

Mr. Sonnek
is completely wrong in his statement that there is no legislation in the
House. In fact, we will all be working off of that legislation as we
move forward.

A similar bill--HF0906, the companion bill to Schmit's SF1018- includes the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) in the mix was introduced by Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul), who also introduced a bill for an aggregate tax, HF1336, that would go toward protecting wellhead and scientific and natural areas. An earier piece of the puzzle, HF0425, defines how the areas for preservation would be defined, while authorizing bonding.

Although Hansen represents a suburb, he grew up in Southeastern Minnesota, where he still owns farm and hunting land in Fillmore and Freeborn Counties.

in an email alert, Land Stewardship Project urged support of HF906, but also wants it strengthened to become the companion bill for SF786. From an email:

MN House to hold first hearing on the issue. House File 906,
authored by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-Mendota Heights), will be heard
Wednesday, March 13, in the House Environment Policy Committee. House
File 906 calls for the Environmental Quality Board to develop standards
for frac sand ordinances that can be used by local units of government
and to create a technical assistance team to help local units of
government. We must work to strengthen this bill by making sure it
contains the key elements of Senate File 786.

Two senate committees have heard Senator Schmit's SF0786, which creates Southeastern Minnesota sand board, authorizes a Generic Environmental Impact Statement to be completed in a year, and imposes a one-year moratorium.

The bill has been sent to the Finance committee. No hearing has yet been set for the bill.

Photo: A frac sand mine in Wisconsin.

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Mar 05, 2013

Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., the Minnesota senate State and Local Government committee will meet to consider the Family Child Care Providers Representation Act, and to take testimony on the parts of the frac sand mining bill, S.F. 786, related to state and local government.

The bill calls for a year-long Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS), a statewide moratorium on new projects during the GEIS, the creation of a Southeastern Minnesota silica sand mining board and other measures.

What have editorial boards across Southern Minnesota written about the bill (others on the industry are on the way, we're told, and there's already a house bill introduced to protect wellheads and scientific and natural areas in the region).

In the heart of the sand lands, the Winona Daily News favors the bill. Speaking for the editorial board in Only one chance, Jerome Christenson writes:

We’ll only have one chance to get it right.

In testimony before his colleagues, Sen. Matt Schmit likened the sudden interest in silica sand mining to a new gold rush, but cautioned that while there may be gold in “them thar hills” how we go about getting it will shape those hills and the entire region for decades to come.

Schmit’s bill -- SF 786 -- will give the people ofMinnesotaa chance to get it right. It gives state agencies and local governments up to a year to develop and put in place uniform, statewide guidelines and regulations for silica sand mining inMinnesota. The bill passed its first hurdle Tuesday when it was approved by the Senate Environment and Energy committee on an 8 - 4 vote that split along party lines and now continues through the legislative gauntlet.

We urge support for Schmit’s bill -- and congratulate the rookie legislator for his work. . . .

People who live in the region, though, are concerned about this boom.
What effect will frac sand mining have on their land, on their air
quality, on their roads and rail lines?

It is certainly time for the state to conduct a study on the issue,
to determine what will be allowable mining practices, and what rules
need to be in place to protect those who will live through the mining
and its aftermath.

The state should undertake this study quickly and do a thorough, yet expeditious job of it.

Mining
is important to the state, and so are Minnesota's natural resources. We
can't afford risk the latter in a rush to feed the oil boom.

One of the strengths of Schmit's bill is that it outlines the "scoping" of the GEIS; earlier studies for the forest industry and livestock feedlots were not so well-defined and so lingered on.

It is horrifying to see the state of Minnesota ready to jump in to slow
down, or stop, the sand mining taking place in the southeastern part of
the state. A state Senate committee this week OK'd a one-year moratorium
on new silica sand mines. . . .

. . Minnesota needs to make sure sand mines are operated safely. It also needs to make sure they are free to operate.

We find it horrifying to imagine Southern Minnesota's river bluffs and rolling hills ending up looking like Wisconsin's pillaged hills, lined by corrupted local officials, with rivers and groundwater threatened, while little return comes back to local communities.

And finally: the fugly.

The Mankato Free Press editorial board produced a piece that about as fugly as it gets. Six days after the state's first hearing on issues related to industrial February 25, 2013 Our View: Review sand mining regulation

—
The mere term "frac sand" conjures danger in many people's minds. The
reason is the concerns that have been raised about fracking, in which
the sand and a mixture of chemicals are injected into oil wells to help
draw more oil from the ground.

That's misleading to put it charitably. The issues being brought up about "frac sand" in Minnesota have little to do with fracking, although industrial sand mining advocates would love to make folks imagine that's the problem.

As Bluestem has noted repeatedly, happy sparkleponies could shoot from oil and gas fracking rigs bearing world peace and kittens for everyone, but the environmental, health, safety and long-term economic development issues related to industrial-scale sand mining will remain.

There is no fracking done in Minnesota but the fine, hard silica sand
is abundant in many bluff regions of the state, including here in the
Minnesota River valley and around Red Wing and Winona.

That means mining companies are eager to extract the valuable sand,
which is in high demand. Locally, the Jordan Sands project is being
considered north of Mankato in a former limestone quarry. Some neighbors
in the area and some other residents oppose the project.

The mining of silica sand is hardly new to the area. Unimin in Ottawa
has been mining silica for use in glass making and more recently for
fracking for decades with little if any controversy.

But putting a moratorium on mining -- absent any credible evidence of
negative effects -- unnecessarily harms economic development. Local
governments are still best for deciding their local land-use rules and
putting reasonable restrictions on companies. If they choose to permit a
sand mining operation, any state standards that are developed can and
will be applied to those operations.

It's easy to dismiss "credible evidence." Just pretend there's no local corruption, corporate bullying, permit violations or the other concerns attending the process.

We urge the committee to vote for Schmit's bill tomorrow--and for the Minnesota House to get moving on its version of the bill. This is the time to get it right.

Photo:A frac sand mine in Wisconsin.

If you appreciate reading posts on Bluestem Prairie, consider making a donation via paypal:

In fact, Bluestem hopes you'll don your tinfoil hat and find somewhere as far away from the Minnesota River Basin as possible.

But if you're like the farmers, land owners, river rats and county commissioners up and down the river who've been working to make sure that Lake Pepin doesn't silt up--and dirt stays in your own pasture or field like any sane property owner would desire--the group's new Local Resource Management Scorecard is pretty nifty, packed with helpful information:

To view aggregate results from the counties in the Minnesota River Basin or to read about how the categories we chose relate to sediment, please visit our County Evaluation Overview Page. If you live in the Minnesota River Basin (in blue) you can click on your county . . .! The map also features the overlapping watersheds for every county in Minnesota; hover over your county to see.

...The mission of the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance in developing this scorecard is to:

1) Recognize county successes in remediation of sedimentation and compliance with state and local regulations and best practices.

2) Recognize accountability in monitoring and enforcement of regulation.

3) Identify county specific obstacles to reducing soil erosion and keeping water on the land.

4) Identify specific opportunities and solutions to address these obstacles.

5) Encourage cooperation and collaboration among local units of government to plan and address the unifying water quality issues of the Minnesota River Basin, where appropriate.

6) Provide a means for counties to more easily share information on their processes, funding sources, success rates, and areas in need of attention.

Go check out the scorecard, which is chock-full of great information. Here's a video from the Alliance with more information about the project:

Jan 20, 2013

Some Greater Minnesota stories aren't political, but irresistable to Bluestem Prairie nonetheless. With the windchills predicted to drop to -38 degrees below zero tomorrow, we find ourselves coveting the fish house an angler has built out in Big Stone County.

For 10 years, Pat Minahan of Ortonville had dreamed of building his own drivable, portable fish house. Finally, last year Pat started work on it and was able to have it completed just in time for ice fishing this year.

Minahan loves to ice fish, but wanted to build something that he could drive out onto the lake without having to get out to fish.

Read more about how Minahan built his dream. The Independent reports the fish are biting on the lake at the headwaters of the Minnesota River Valley:

Many have said that ice fishing this winter has been the best they have seen in many years. There has been a good bite on the perch and walleye and the fishing pressure on Big Stone Lake has been outstanding with many fish houses on the lake.

If you want to find Minahan's favorite fishing hole, just head west on Highway 7 or 12 until you get to South Dakota. You can't miss it.

Photo: Bluestem is so coveting this guy's fish house in Big Stone County, along with the big stones out there. Photo via the Ortonville Independent.

If you enjoyed reading this post, consider giving a donation via paypal:

With wind speeds topping 46 miles per hour — 53 mph at the top of the
tower — Lars Falck, a representative of juwi Germany, clipped a bright
red ribbon to signify the commissioning of Nobles County’s newest wind
farm and Minnesota’s tallest towers.

Dozens of landowners,
investors and juwi Wind LLC representatives were on hand for the
Wednesday afternoon ceremony commissioning Community Wind South east of
Reading. The wind farm consists of 15, 2-megawatt Repower towers, each
towering 480 feet to the top tip of the blade.

Wednesday’s celebration had been a long time in the making, according to David Benson, Community Wind South board chairman.

“I’m
very relieved and very happy,” Benson said following the ribbon
cutting. “I feel so good that the project is finished. We’ve had a lot
of ups and downs for the past 10 years. . . .I think we stayed true to our values — we wanted local investors,” Benson said.

. . .

Rep. Melissa Hortman, Brooklyn Park, was on hand for the event in her
new role as chairwoman of the Minnesota House Energy Committee. She
will help lead the state forward in its continued quest to advance
renewable energy. Minnesota adopted a campaign in 2007 to reach 25
percent renewable energy by 2025.

“We’ve come a long way in the
state of Minnesota since 2007, but there’s still more we can do,” she
said. “I’m anxious to take us to the next step.”

Hortman said she
was pleased with the Community Wind South project, not only because of
the jobs it created in Minnesota, but because of the community
ownership.

“The community will profit from the enterprise as it moves forward, and that’s exciting,” she said.

With
some utility companies in the state already ahead of schedule in their
push to reach the 25 by 25 goal, Hortman said there is still a lot of
potential in the state to expand renewable energy.

“We need to
grow the biomass percentage into our energy portfolio, we need to grow
solar, and we need to continue to grow wind,” she said. “Wind has been
so successful at creating jobs and creating wealth in Minnesota that
it’s a good example of how we can continue to move forward.

Read the whole report at the Globe or Prairie Business. Learn more about the contributions of the wind industry to Minnesota's economy here.

Photo: Turbine blades wait for installation at the Community Wind South project in Minnesota. (Source: Wind on the Wires)

Blog begathon: Bluestem is supported by reader
contributions. If you liked this post, consider throwing some coin to
the tip jar. If you don't like using PayPal, email at the address on
this page for a snail mail address. We'll be running our twice-yearly
"bleg" though Christmas.

Canadian Pacific Railway is looking into the possibility of selling
660 miles of track in South Dakota and three surrounding states, the
railroad said Tuesday.

The announcement came a day after CP said
it was mothballing plans to extend its Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern
Railroad network into the Powder River Basin to ship Wyoming coal to
power plants in other states because of weakening demand for coal. . . .

CP in 2007 bought 2,500 miles of track and equipment from South
Dakota-based DM&E and its subsidiaries for $1.5 billion. CP said in a
Tuesday statement that it is “inviting expressions of interest” for
track from Tracy, Minn., into South Dakota, and into Nebraska and
Wyoming. The track is described as the “DM&E west end.”

It's no surprise to Bluestem that CP would opt to keep tracks in
Minnesota east of Tracy, since the retained line is close to potential
frac sand mines in Southeastern Minnesota and the middle corridor of the
Minnesota River Valley. A large frac sand mining and processing center near St. Charles, for example, is near the old DM&E line.

The now-abandoned proposal to extend the tracks into Wyoming's Powder River Basin was deeply controversial in the Rochester area, where the Mayo Clinic and other civic powerhouses objected to the possibility of long coal trains rumbling past the medical complex. Others objected to the large
federal loans the DM & E requested for the extension and upgrades. The conflict proved a major factor in the defeat of six-term Representative Gil Gutknecht by insurgent Mankato Democrat Tim Walz.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. is
slashing close to a quarter of its work force over four years, as
recently arrived CEO Hunter Harrison aggressively carves out costs to
create a more competitive railway.

Approximately 1,700 jobs will
be eliminated by year’s end through layoffs, attrition and the use of
fewer contract positions, with up to a total of 4,500 jobs by 2016 –
about 23 per cent of the current 19,500 employees and contractors.

The job cuts are the centrepiece of a sweeping restructuring plan that
aims to change CP’s reputation as one of North America’s least-efficient
railroads. U.S. hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and his company,
Pershing Square Capital Management, won a fiercely contested battle this
spring to gain control on the railway’s board and install Mr. Harrison,
a highly regarded railway manager, as its new chief executive officer. . . .

Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP) (NYSE:CP) today announced its intention to
explore strategic options for its main line track from Tracy, MN west
into South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming and is inviting expressions of
interest from prospective partners.

The line includes approximately 660 miles of track which encompasses
CP’s current operations between Tracy, MN and Rapid City, SD, north of
Rapid City to Colony, WY, south of Rapid City to Dakota Jct., NE and
connecting branchlines. CP has operated the rail line in this area
since it assumed operational control of the Dakota, Minnesota &
Eastern (DM&E) railroad in 2008. A number of grain, ethanol, clay
and merchandise customers are rail-served in the area.

“This portion of the CP network would be an attractive and highly
viable opportunity for a low-cost operator. There is a strong long-term
franchise here for an operator willing to maintain high quality service
and explore growth opportunities with existing and future customers,”
said E. Hunter Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer. “CP has
successfully built many partnerships with shortline and Class 1
railroads throughout its system and we look forward to assessing the
ways interested parties could work together with us to deliver quality
service to customers on the west end of the DM&E through an
innovative partnership.”

CP will be contacting interested parties seeking expressions of
interest in December, 2012. Parties should contact Paul Clegg, Director
Business Development at 403.319.6310 for further information.

“CP will continue to fully serve customers along this rail line as we
work with interested parties and evaluate proposals. We have
undertaken similar reviews on other portions on our network in the past
that have resulted in positive outcomes for shippers, employees, and
operators,’’ added Harrison.

Blog begathon: Bluestem is supported by reader
contributions. If you liked this post, consider throwing some coin to
the tip jar. If you don't like using PayPal, email at the address on
this page for a snail mail address. We'll be running our twice-yearly
"bleg" though Christmas.

Images: The old depot in Tracy (now gone), top; Tracy and Lyon County, MN, middle; Tracy (gray dot) on the DM&E tracks in Minnesota, bottom.

Sep 28, 2012

Packets have gone out to the Ortonville City Council this evening for
Monday’s 7pm meeting in the Ortonville Public Library Media Center. On
the agenda, under New Business: “Hedge Annexation.”

Rumors of Ortonville City’s possible annexation of the proposed
Strata aggregate quarry site in Ortonville Township have been leaking
out for a few weeks now, and those rumors were further fueled by a
post-meeting-adjournment question to the council from Ortonville EDA
Community Development Coordinator Vicki Oakes about whether the city
would rezone the proposed quarry site when (not if) it was annexed.

Since passing an interim ordinance late last winter, the Ortonville
Township Board of Supervisors has moved to create their own planning and
zoning committee and to develop their own land use plan in order to
preserve and protect the quality of life of their approximately 100
residents. I have been a witness to several of township’s board and
planning committee meetings, and I can tell you that these people are
incredibly dedicated public servants who have embarked on a very steep
learning curve in order to do right by their residents.

The State of Minnesota provides for townships and other
municipalities to exercise this right of local control through passage
of an interim ordinance precisely because larger governing bodies do not
always respect the will of the people in smaller ones. Clearly, this
was the case when the Big Stone County Board of Commissioners moved to
approve the Strata Corp. conditional use permit for an aggregate quarry
in Ortonville Township despite the objection of the majority of its
residents and despite the county’s lack of jurisdiction once the interim
ordinance was passed.

And, despite the legal right of the township to take control of its
own land use planning, Ms. Oakes, formerly Big Stone County Planning
Commission chair, has publicly ridiculed the township’s process,
spread false rumors about its intentions and effects, and has continued
to push the quarry project and the interests of one non-resident
landowner (who happens to be one of the wealthiest citizens of Big Stone
County) over the rights of the many residents of the township.

It is frankly amazing how much information Ms. Oakes can convey
considering her presence at only one of these township meetings–one at
which no planning committee business took place. Is spreading rumor and
innuendo and ridiculing the process of local governments an appropriate
role of a paid employee of the City of Ortonville?

Now, in defiance of the township’s role and right to preserve and
protect the health, safety, property values, and quality of life of its
residents, Ms. Oakes, landowner Gayle Hedge, and Strata Corporation are
pushing the City of Ortonville to annex township land and push forward
the quarry project against the will of the majority of the families who
actually live there.

Is this the kind of place we want to live? Where a bigger government
bullies the smaller one, and residents have no say about the community
they want to live in?

Unfortunately, townships have few legal rights when it comes to
annexation by a neighboring city. The process that Ortonville Township
has embarked upon to protect and serve their people could be for naught
unless the people of both Ortonville City and Ortonville Township stand
up and make their voices heard.

Plan to attend Monday night’s meeting, and contact Ortonville City
Council members to tell them to preserve the rights of Ortonville
Township residents by rejecting annexation of the Hedge property.

A resident of Clinton, Minnesota, in Big Stone County, Rebecca Terk is a Community Based Food Systems Organizer for the Land Stewardship Project. She mostly writes--and writes quite wonderfully--about food and local food systems at her blog, Big Stone Bounty.

We want to take a moment to thank our customers that have shown unflagging
patronage over the past 39 years. In a time when ruthlessly cheap imports
flood the market, we strive to make a product that is truly American. Our
product is made of buffalo (American Bison) not water buffalo.

Our buffalo hides are not shipped out of the country only to be assembled by
somebody else in some distant land (and then brazenly labeled "USA -American
Bison-leather").

We strive not to "trick you" in any way. Our buffalo are raised by many,many
friends of ours that are ranchers. We hold them in highest regard. The
buffalo are raised throughout the U.S. by folks that have a passion for
raising an animal that is indigenous to the Great Plains of North America.

To the many folks that question? "who makes this product?" Let us make this
statement; "WE MAKE THIS PRODUCT.. 100% From the contract tanning process,
to cutting of the hides,to the skiving, to the gluing and sewing and
stitching. At the end of the day, we are often......quite tired. Tired, but
very grateful for the customers that order our products and allow us to
continue this amazing journey of the American craftsman & artisan.

Also a musician and co-founder of Worthington's annual windsurfing festival, Keitel represents the creativity that's taken root on Minnesota's western prairie.

Several days ago, when Bill Keitel gave a brief tour of his downtown
Worthington business to some of out-of-towners, he thought little of it.

He’ll likely think of what transpired Tuesday for the rest of his life.

Keitel,
who owns The Cows Outside and Buffalo Billfold Co. on 10th Street,
introduced U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday in Rochester. On his
way back to Worthington Tuesday night, Keitel marveled at the
unlikeliness of what had taken place.

“When the Mars lander landed
on Mars — that’s what happened to me,” Keitel said. “Some people
stopped at the store one day, and then all of a sudden I landed in
Rochester with Al Franken, Tim Walz and others.”

Keitel recalled
having some visitors in his store about a week ago who were representing
Minnesota labor issues and “were looking for local business support.”
He knew in advance they wanted to see his business, so when he was
called at home during lunch, he returned to the store to offer a tour.

A Facebook friend request followed about two days later, and then came a more unusual contact shortly afterward.

A call from the Obama campaign asking him to speak. Keitel agreed to speak because he's been concerned about health care costs. In the article, he acknowledges that some customers might object to his speaking at a politic event, but decided to accept. He tells the Globe:

The reason I agreed to do it is as a small businessman, we struggle with
health care costs. It’s a pretty important issue. My own personal view
is that health care is one of the single biggest things that cause small
businesses to go out of business. . . .

“Most small businessmen that live in small communities can’t afford
to lose any of their patronage and, so many times, people don’t speak
up,” Keitel said. “I have friends on every side of the aisle … and I
just think it’s an important enough issue that people should step
forward and recognize that small businesses are under siege with health
care costs.

“I didn’t go up there as a professor of economics and
health care issues, and I surely didn’t intend this to be me stepping
forward into the political arena. It’s duty, really. … If you’re called
upon to say something good for the party, good for the president and
good for the country, you do it.”

Read the whole thing, and when you're in Worthington, stop by the shop. Askelin is right: this stuff is beautiful.

A video interview

Photos by Laura Askelin. Used with permission. A shout-out to Luverne's Dale Moerke--one of the best local guys in SW Minnesota for the local and the beautiful.

May 01, 2012

With the decision by Allen Quist to bypass a hypothetical June 2 endorsing convention in Minnesota's Fighting First, Southern Minnesota's most watched telenovela will be extended into the deep summer.

Already the drama is heightening, with the St. Peter area farmer importing concepts from such hit dramas as The Walking Dead. Critic Josh Moniz at the New Ulm Journal writes in Quist, Parry to fight it out in primary:

The anger generated by the promise-breaking debate even prompted both candidates to bring accusations of being unelectable at each other. Quist said Walz would eat Parry alive for his statement that he'd wait to bring troops home until the job market improved. Parry's campaign manager Ben Golnik said Quist's prior statements that men are genetically predisposed to be the head of households made him unable to win.

The screenwriter doubts that Tim Walz is a cannibal or a zombie, or that anyone wishes to eat Parry alive or dead. The point each side is making about each other's baggage would have been issues without a primary. Perhaps this is why neither could make a persuasive case at the casting call at the Kato Ballroom two weeks ago.

Especially since the entertainment center wasn't serving booze during the CD1 MNGOP convention. Beer goggles might have been helpful.

“Allen Quist has repeatedly been tried, tested and rejected in his numerous attempts to attain higher office,” Parry said in his statement.

Quist said gaffes made by Parry, including a comment that he wouldn’t bring American troops home from Afghanistan until the domestic job outlook improves, would doom him in a general election contest against Walz.

“Walz will take him to the cleaners on that,” Quist said.

Both candidates tossed out sharp criticisms of Walz on Monday, as well. But Quist said Republicans who hope he and Parry will play nice during the coming campaign need to remember that Parry slung the first mud.

“They need to face the facts that Parry spent the two weeks prior to the endorsing convention doing nothing but going negative and attacking me,” Quist said.

Asked if he would respond in kind during the primary campaign, Quist didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely.”

‎This battle should bring out the best of both men--for the dramatist, and the political forum at Farmfest in August where Parry, Quist and Walz will be tossed in with Byberg and Peterson from the Seventh, and whomever shows from the other congressional races in Minnesota.

Bluestem recommends strengthening oneself with local beer from Brau Brothers or Schells. it gets hot in that tent even before the politicians start talking.

Mar 23, 2012

The West Central Tribune and the Montevideo American News both carry news of the fire at the Easy Bean Farm in rural Milan, Minnesota. Easy Bean is a 120-acre organic CSA farm that's also home to artist Malena Handeen.

Cleanup is underway at Easy Bean farm east of Milan, where a fast-moving grass fire Monday destroyed an art studio and its contents, a granary holding farming equipment, a pickup truck and tractor, and damaged two greenhouses and other equipment.

The fire also destroyed a vacant house, two sheds and numerous older-model vehicles, tanks and other items on an adjoining property.

The actions of rural mail carrier Paul Belseth, Milan’s former fire chief, are credited with saving the home of Malena Handeen and Mike Jacobs, and their children, Hazel and Arlo.

In an email sent out earlier this week, CURE's Patrick Moore described the farm as "one of our region's shining examples of how creative, hard working people are pooling resources to grow good food and create compelling art & music." Anyone taking a tour of Easy Bean Farm's website--or the farm itself--can gain an appreciation of that example.

People who want to help the Mike Jacobs and Handeen household have a couple of avenues by which they may extend a hand to the family.

The West Central Tribune notes:

An account has been established at the Co-op Credit Union, 2407 Highway 7 East, PO Box 447, Montevideo, 56265, to help the couple with their financial losses. Photos from the fire are posted on the Easy Bean farm’s Facebook page.

Oil paintings by Malena Handeen of rural Milan are currently being exhibited at the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance until the end of March, 2012. . . .

Malena has been painting for over thirty years. Her work captures both inner, personal landscapes and the beauty of the countryside that surrounds us. Malena is also a musician who writes music, sings, and plays accordion. CD’s of some of her songs are also for sale at the PRCA gallery.

Malena is the owner (and janitor) at her home studio, The Loose Tooth Cowgirl Saloon of Art . . .

Finally, there's a hands-on clean-up day this weekend. Bring your own shovel, since those at the farm were destroyed by the blaze. Audrey Arner's Facebook page has the deets:

Jacobs and Handeen practice “Tikkun Olam or “the mending of the world” in their farming and art; now is the time to return the favor for this wonderful family and business. Their edges are more than a little frayed right now, and you can assist with the mending.

Feb 18, 2012

Vicki Oakes, chair of the Big Stone County Planning and Zoning Commission, wasn't happy with the 100 restless citizens seated in front of her at the board meeting on Thursday night in Clinton, Minnesota, population 449.

Upset by the possibility that beloved granite outcroppings in Ortonville Township might soon be blasted into aggregate for concrete, they'd organized, circulated a petition, written letters to the editors of local papers, and marched singing anti-mining tunes and carrying handmade pro-rock, pro-ball cactus signs to the Clinton Community Center.

Some weren't respecting her authority, throwing out loud suggestions about what she could do with the conditional use permit (CUP) sought by Strata Corporation, a Grand Forks sand and gravel corporation running gravel pits across the upper Midwest.

Not that the suggestions that "You could just vote no" were profane or vulgar. Just out of order. But not too out of order, since sheriff's deputies were on hand to keep the peace, and the motley crowd of cattle farmers, small business people, students, Dakota activists, Republicans, DFLers, writers, artists, and local food growers had parked their signs outside.

But Oakes, Community Development Coordinator for the City of Ortonville, was letting her temper flair during the informally managed meeting. When citizens clapped, booed or recorded proceedings on cell phones, she slapped them down.

The dominant model for protest--Tea Party or leftward--is the Alinsky model: pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. In Big Stone County, home to fewer than 5300 souls, this can be a bit awkward, especially when the argument isn't about stopping development, but rather, what sort of development is best to keep Big Stone County from continuing to hemorrhage people as residents take off to Sioux Falls or the Cities.

The quarry would pay a projected $20,000 a year in aggregate taxes to Big Stone County and Ortonville Township annually. It is projected to create six to eight jobs.

That's not a lot by metro terms, but on the western border away from any mini-metropolis, those jobs are hard to come by. The successful but aging farmer who seeks to lease his land to Strata Corporation frames the development in those terms.

Understanding Gayle’s story seems important as it has a pivotal impact on what the landscape will look like along the headwaters of the Minnesota River 130 years from now. It is a story filled with hard work, entrepreneurism, humor and a big love of life in a small town of western Minnesota. . . .

Hedge believes the county will benefit from the proposed quarries with six to eight new seasonal positions for Big Stone County and a combined tax revenue of approximately $26,000 a year. “Those employees will fill some of the many vacant houses available in Ortonville, ” Hedge said. In addition, he plans to set up a fund for the City of Ortonville through $50,000 received from Strata Corporation in exchange for the agreement to mine the land for the next 130 years.

In Big Stone County's scale of things, that's a generous endowment. Hedge is a respected member of his community who is looking to the longterm, 130 years into the future. Queenan's article doesn't spell out what entity will administer the fund (the City of Ortonville or a community foundation) but even quarry opponents appreciate the caring qesture.

Others suggest that the rock outcroppings--and the wildlife refuge and bike trail near them--have a more enduring economic value. Cherveny writes:

Lodging and hospitality industry revenues in 2010 in Big Stone County totaled $4.1 million, with tax revenues to all sources of $282,000, according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue.

The environmental harm — the loss of yet another endangered rock outcrop — and what mining operations ultimately means to the area is what brought Duane Ninneman to Clinton on Sunday. Blasting and crushing rock and loading trains are all certain to add silica and other dust to the air and cause noise pollution to the detriment of residents in the area, he explained.

A Big Stone County resident and consultant with Clean Up the River Environment, Ninneman has been helping residents opposed to the project. “Our concern is our residents and making sure their way of life is a good way of life,’’ said Ninneman.

For Vicki Oakes, the dilemma isn't an abstraction, but a professional tension. In addition to serving as the Community Development Coordinator for the City of Ortonville, Oakes serves on the Western Prairie Waters Regional Tourism board.

***

Big Stone County resident Duane Ninneman also takes a long view, but sees things from a different perspective as a member of the Minnesota River revival movement. If it issued cards, he'd carry one, but the intentional community building that's been going on among sustainable development advocates hasn't gotten around to that part yet.

Instead, the movement members have built groups like CURE (Clean Up the River Environment), sustainability projects, the Meander art gallery crawl, eco-tourism and community building. While there's oppositional organizing, as the case of the fight against the Big Stone II coal plant and the protest signs at the Clinton meeting, the folks along the Upper Minnesota River are more interested in teaching the art of hosting than selling the metrics of the Alinsky methods.

CURE Executive Director Patrick Moore, a mainstay on Montevideo's Main Street, hands me a flyer for the Art of Hosting Training that the group is sponsoring in early May at the Prairie's Edge Resort and Casino in Granite Falls. The Art of Hosting, the document tells me, attempts to heal the broken relationships between people.

In the conflict in Big Stone County, Moore seeks to stop the relentless march of the permit process so that citizens can hold the sort of "courageous conversations" that they need to have about what sort of communities they and their children should enjoy. A musician and river enthusiast, he peppers his conversations with notions of respect, compassion and dialogue for everyone.

Right now, he and his friends in Big Stone County are talking about the interim ordinance that the Ortonville Township Board of Supervisors passed to give residents time to talk about what they want for their community. MPR's Mark Steil reports in Quarry plan faces more hurdles:

And there's another potential roadblock for the project. The Ortonville Township Board has passed a moratorium on new projects like the proposed quarry. The township plans to set up its own planning and zoning commission which would have to approve Strata's plans. Strata officials say they are reviewing the township action.

The Minnesota Supreme Court has consistently upheld the authority of townships to govern themselves and pass their own rules. It's part of the tradition of local control in Minnesota, one that's threatened by players far away from Big Stone County.

***

On Friday afternoon after the Clinton hearing, I receive a blast action alert from the Land Stewardship Project, which keeps a field office in Montevideo that promotes local food and sustainable, family-scale agriculture. Organizer Bobby King cuts to the chase about the threat to local control, specifically interim ordinances like that approved by the Ortonville Township board:

House File 389 will make it more difficult for citizens who want their township, county or city to take action and protect the community from unanticipated, harmful development. The bill weakens the power of local governments to enact interim ordinances (also called land use moratoriums). An interim ordinance allows local governments to quickly put a temporary freeze on major development. This power is essential when the community is caught off-guard by unanticipated and potentially harmful proposals, especially those from corporate interests and outside investors, such as big box stores like Wal-Mart or a large-scale factory farm. An interim ordinance freezes the status quo and gives the community time to review or create the appropriate zoning ordinances.

UPDATE: House File 389 was tabled at the Jan. 26 hearing in the House Government Operations and Elections Committee due to our phone calls and e-mails and strong testimony in opposition. Now new language for the bill is being proposed as a “compromise.” However, this new language still dramatically weakens local control and is NOT a compromise. Under this new proposal, after a project applies for a permit the local unit of government has a short window of time in which to enact an interim ordinance. If they miss that window, then the proposed project is exempt. The clock starts running before any public hearing — by the time there is a hearing, the clock could be run out. . .

In short, taking away one of the tools citizens in Big Stone County just implemented to stop the clock for a timeout and conversation. Gutting local control has long been a goal of developers and Big Ag, but with self-professed enemies of big government now in control of the state capitol, the odds for big government to neuter little government has never been higher.

Ortonville Township isn't alone in the questions it's taking time to ask about mining by enacting a moratorium.

Across the state in Southeastern Minnesota, Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona Counties have adopted interim ordinances to review the impact of silica sand (fracking sand) mining as the natural gas boom and attendent use of hydrologic fracking to abstract gas from shale fires demand for the fine sand.

Citizens on the other side of the state have packed committee and board hearings, held community meetings and physically blocked trucks hauling fracking sand. Those who argue for development talk jobs; those who oppose the strip mines talk water quality, dust, property value, natural beauty, property values--and jobs, created by tourism from people seeking the loveliness of the Upper Mississippi's driftless region.

***

Neither a need for dialogue nor the Ortonville Township Board of Supervisors was slowing down Big Stone County Planning Commission Chair Vicki Oakes in Clinton on Thursday Night.

And despite a rising series of complications and permit conditions involving dust, water quality issues, livestock health, road access, rare plants, and other issues, Oakes was pushing for "consensus," which looked more like taking a vote and getting a simple majority agreement than the generally accepted definition of consensus.

This seemed odd, as many reasonable people in the crowd thought that perhaps the discussion might have led rational people to conclude that the site wasn't a particularly good choice for the operation, especially since there are so many other areas in the region where rock could be mined. Indeed, some observers later wondered why huge piles of tailings from old quarries couldn't be crushed for aggregate--and that doing so might cost Strata less, thereby increasing profit. No time for dialogue on that.

Nor was Oakes buying a suggestion from a board member that perhaps Strata simply be allowed to have one quarry, for 30 years, so that the impacts of one mine could be assessed after one generation. Instead, she appeared to be on board with the notion that a permit for 130 years was the only reasonable approach for mining on the difficult site.

She also wanted the public to sit down and behave, though apparently she deemed representatives from Strata as having enough interest in the project to allow them to approach the tables where she sat to conduct side conversions that weren't clear to the rest of us.

Indeed, it was difficult to note just who was speaking in the meeting, since Oakes tended not to call on board members by name before they spoke. Since the meeting was only being audiotaped (with videotaping forbidden), I knew that it would be hard to tell who said what when I got the tape, so I tried shooting video with my cellphone.

No dice: Oakes snapped at me to stop, and a few seconds later warned: "I better not see that posted on the Internet."

The board voted 5-3, with one abstention, to recommend passage of the CUP by the County Commissioners. Since the vote wasn't videotaped for all to see, a staff member at CURE created the graphic above.

After the meeting, I snapped some closeups of the board; Oakes ordered me to "Stop it." I indentified myself as a reporter/writer from a blog. She seemed more angry than ever (one suspects that rough treatment in a local online forum may have influenced that rage).

A few moments later, I approached her like my hand extended to shake and attempted to introduce myself and name the place where I publish, but she snapped at me to stop again. I asked once more if she wanted to comment --a request met with a resounding no.

Perhaps she might profit from taking in that training on the Art of Hosting in May--as may I.

Photos: The vote in Clinton (above; photo by BSP); the site in Ortonville Township (middle;photo by Anne Queenan); Vicki Oakes after the meeting ( below; photo by BSP).